The Vies and Woes of an Alchemist
by iFullmetal
Summary: After his defeat, Father pulled his most risky trump card, just as a war starts between Amestris and its neighboring country, Creta. Trisha Elric, the amnesiac daughter of Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell, is the center to their new plan, but when Envy fails a mission, she escapes with a broken mind and a single family photograph. But they will stop at nothing to capture her.


Carow Elementary, Risembool

A thin, gangly man stood in front of a sea of students, glasses perched upon his bird-like nose, which was crooked and bent as if it had been broken many times as a child. With index and middle finger, he pushed them up his nose and used the same hand to brush through his greasy mop of chestnut hair.

His long, creepish finger pointed to the board, where a single word was written in the center point of its vast space. This single word was all it took to confuse an entire class of third-graders, who whispered amongst themselves, clearly befuddled.

All except one, of course.

She sat in the third row of the class, two seats from the right and behind Patty Sterner and Jinea Park, a set of girls who, in her opinion, had no brains. This girl, the only one in the entire class with knowledge of the word, gazed at it with eagerness, eyes wide.

 _Alchemy._

Just the word was enough to have her rocking on the balls of her feet, elbows propped on her desk to hold her face in. Her father had told her all about this art, a practice both he and her uncle specialize in, although she never saw her father use it.

"Alright class," her teacher announced, settling the silence in the classroom as he peered at them from behind his shining glasses. "Who can tell me what this means?"

Her hand shot up instantaneously, her stretched grin uncontainable at this point. "Why yes, Trisha?"

"Alchemy is, as it is known, the ancient metaphysical science of manipulating and altering matter by using natural energy. This is known as Transmutation and its sequence is Comprehension, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction," she answered, ivy green eyes lit with joy.

The entire class, dumbstruck, inched forward in their desks, this new information intriguing to their young minds. Her teacher, Mr. Fretz, with his mouth slightly agape and his glasses hanging off his nose, did the same.

"Outstanding, Trisha," he praised the eight year old girl. "And do you know the one law of Alchemy?"

"Yes," she responded truthfully. "There are two parts to it."

"Could you.." He cleared his throat reiteratively, trying to mask his own hopefulness to discuss the subject further, due to his own minimal knowledge peaking an interest. "..enlighten the class?"

Nodding, Trisha began thoughtfully, "The first part is the Law of Conservation of Mass, which simply states that nothing can be taken that will not be given back in the same. If you need a kilogram of mass, at least one kilogram of mass must be used."

Scrunching her nose slightly, she sifted around her mind for the next part, which, for a moment, escaped her.

"The Law of Natural Providence!" she exclaimed as she realized its name. Cheeks darkening pink as she understood her outburst, she smiled sheepishly and continued, confidence returning as she saw the delighted looks on her classmates' faces.

"An object made with a certain material can only be transmuted into an object with similar makeup of the initial material. For example, an object made mostly of water can only be transmuted into an object with the same attributes of water as the original."

Despite prematurely knowing Trisha's answer would be entirely correct, Fretz quizzed, "A-and do you know what those two parts are called as a law?"

"Equivalent Exchange!" she chirped, swinging her legs underneath her desk.

The teacher's slate-gray eyes looked ashamed that an eight-year-old has just outsmarted his own bits of knowledge on the subject, and he slumped further in his desk chair, rubbing a hand down his face. "Well, she's definitely the Fullmetal Pipsqueak's daughter."

A moment after he said that, cheers erupted through the classroom and he glanced at the clock.

"Class dismissed."

Trisha exited her classroom after gathering her few materials, trailing along behind the group of boys who usually sat in the back and slept or threw spitballs at Leland Knox, a slightly overweight, pasty boy, who sat a row behind her.

What peaked the young girl's interest was those same boys were having a rapid discussion about wanting to try out alchemy, Leland included. Smiling to herself, she continued to weave her way through the halls and into the sixth-grade hall where they would be dismissed in ten minutes.

Trisha slid down the side of the wall outside the room, slumped against it with her knees bent at a somewhat strange angle.

Tucking a lock of goldenrod hair behind her ear, she replayed the day's events in her head. It was one of the more exciting days in her opinion, especially when they got to speaking about alchemy. Trisha's mind lingered until she realized she'd forgotten her writing notebook for her journalism report, and sighed.

The door swung open, crowds of children racing out of it to get home, and she remained perfectly calm in her seat next to the door. A boy sauntered through it, bookbag thrown over his shoulder carelessly, another hand shoved in his pocket.

His golden eyes scanned the hall momentarily before landing on Trisha, lips twitching upward into a smile. He moved his shoulder forward, indicating she get up. She didn't, which made him come to a halt in the middle of the walk.

"I forgot my notebook in my classroom," she said simply.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he muttered, "Again? Fifth time this week." Despite the irritated tone of his voice, he gave her a playful grin and ruffled her hair, the same golden shade as his. "I'll meet you over there after I get Urey and Annie."

"Okay," she responded, grabbing her own bookbag as she trailed down the hall, back to the direction of her room.

Upon nearing it she slid the door open, peeking her head inside. "Um, hello?" the blonde called out, eyes scanning the room for a moment. "Sir?" For the life of her she couldn't remember her teacher's name, but she remembered he was particularly new, so there was no way she could be at fault.

 _Was it Franz?_ she wondered. _Or Fendz? No..._

Trisha's ivy green eyes darted to her desk, spotting a thin black notebook with her unsurprisingly neat name written on the cover. Without a second thought she scrambled toward her desk, scooping the book in her arms and cramming it into her bag hurriedly.

The sudden creak of the door alerted her. Jumping in surprise, the young Elric turned to face the hardened face of her teacher. His lips were drawn back in a grin with sinister purposes, slate-grey eyes widened and amused when she flinched.

"Ah, Trisha," he hummed slightly. "I was wondering if you would return for your notebook or not."

"Y-yes, Mr. Fretz," she stuttered, beginning to remember his name.

The chestnut-haired man continued, "And obviously you remember the assignment you were given in that notebook?"

Trisha straightened the navy straps of the bag on her shoulders. Attempting to stand tall and unafraid like she had seen her father do (although he could only fulfill the latter), she answered, "Of course, s-sir. Sorry for the intrusion, b-but may I please leave now?"

His eyes sparked for a moment, but he continued to look downward from the glinting lens on his glasses, the reflecting light blocking eyes.

"Could you, before you leave, transmute something for me? You seem to understand alchemy enough to perform it," he drawled. Trisha hesitated, but as he stared her down she shivered and nodded curtly. All she was left was a momentary thought.

 _All the books say you need a transmutation circle to perform any alchemical transmutation. But I guess if it's different when Uncle Al demonstrates it... Maybe I can do it._

She knelt, pressing her hands to the cool ground of the floor. A breath passed her lips, and her eyes shut, hidden behind a veil of lashes. Everything clicked. It was incredible.

She could feel the energy work through her fingers as blue light crackled and sparked around her, and part of the floor began caving under, the center point of it moving upwards. Her eyes lit with curiosity and pride, cherishing the moment for everything it gave.

Her first transmutation.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, JACKASS?"

Her sparking ivy eyes shot up, away from the stone bird she had been halfway through transmuting. Her eyes did many things at this time. First the dulled, focusing on the person in the doorway. Then they sharpened in fear. And finally, they widened in horror as she saw a creepish hand trying to make a grab for her.

And in the blink of an eye, her moment was ruined.

Earlier 

"I forgot my notebook in my classroom."

Ed sighed, fingers pinching his nose agitatedly. With a frown, he murmured slowly, "Again? Fifth time this week." Though he seemed aggravated, he sighed and ruffled her loose golden hair. "I'll meet you over there after I get Urey and Annie."

Trisha smiled lightly, agreeing with an, "Okay."

Feet padding against the floor, he departed the area in the opposite direction of his younger sister, blonde bangs covering the sides of his eyes slightly. With a scowl he blew them out of his face, cursing himself for having grown them out like his father's were.

Of course, it was merely his nature.

Not only born with his father's name, but his looks. Many even said the two were near identical in personality. Gaining height from his father's may have had something to do with the personality remarks.

In other words, Edward Elric ll had a reputation to uphold. Never once in his twelve years of life did he overthink it. Instead, it made him prouder of his name. Edward Elric was the second most common name for all of Amestris to know, only bested by Furher Mustang. It was his as much as it was his father's, but he knew it was purely his mother's idea to carry on her husband's name.

When he was a born, Ed was premature. He was sick. And he nearly died. His survival was praised as a miracle. His strength, even as an infant, must have reminded his mother of his father's strength. So she decided to give him a name that represented this, and he held it with pride to the date.

Ed continued to ponder this. That is, until his forehead slapped against a hard piece of wood, and he flinched for a moment's notice before recognizing it as a door. The door to the adjoined first grade and kindergarten classroom in which he was headed to to pick up Urey and Annie in the first place.

"Ah, Edward," a warm, sultry voice was brought to his (now) ringing ears. "You seem a little dazed. You didn't hit your head too hard, did you, dear?"

His cheeks reddened noticeably, and the twelve year old answered lowly, "I'm just here for my little brother and Annie, Denice. You should know that by now. I come to get them every day."

"I know, I know," the woman mused, chocolate eyes shining with unheard laughter. "Urey will be in class for a few more minutes, but the kindergarten just got out, so you'll find Annie in here," she explained, the same gentle tone to her voice as before. She set her large leatherback book down, sauntering toward the back of the room with Ed in toe.

"Annie, Edward's here to get you," she explained when they reached the other side of the room.

Annie was toward the corner, where the piles of thin books with huge words were kept for students, along with some toys and child-sized tables and chairs.

She set down her own book (the one she had stolen from her father and uncle's shared study) and looked up. Her golden eyes were large and wide and as innocent as a child's eyes can be. Ed gave her a grin as genuine as his he previously did his sister. The girl gasped and squealed instantly, running toward the boy to lock her arms around his torso in a hug.

"Ed, I missed you!" she giggled.

He sighed, but his smile was unaltered. "Annie, you saw me this morning. How'd you miss me?"

She pulled away, an ebony braid bouncing behind her. "Um," she began, "I dunno."

The half-Xingese girl looked up at her cousin with as much admiration as usual, head titled up to see his face. Ed raised an eyebrow at her, but she just continued to grin innocently, showing off her row of pearly whites. Her bottom canine was missing.

"You loose a tooth today?" Ed asked.

Annie nodded. "My first!"

"That's my Annie," he laughed, ruffling her hair in a sibling-like manor. There was a moment of silence before an overwhelmingly loud burst of cheering rang throughout the room, followed only by the loud running footsteps of at least three dozen first-graders.

Ed turned to his side, bag still slung over his shoulder. "How was school?" he asked his little brother with a small smile.

"To be blunt," the six year old said, "It sucked."

"Urey, Aunt Winry would hit you with her wrench if she heard that one," Annie muttered, deadpanned.

The boy shrugged, letting his bright blue eyes scan over the room before walking over to a shelf in the back lined with backpacks and rain boots and other young children's items.

He grabbed a navy blue satchel and a light green rucksack before trailing back over to Ed and Annie. Dropping the green bag in her arms, Urey smirked slightly and said, "Well, she's in Rush Valley right now, so no one can hit me with a wrenches."

Annie pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out. "Trisha could!"

"She doesn't even have a wrench!" Urey argued, stuffing his free hand in his pocket.

Ed, already tired of the bickering of his the younger ones, pushed their faces apart and steered them forward. "I seriously need to get you guys a hobby."

"Leaving so soon, Edward?"

"Yeah, Dad told me to get these shrimps back home by four, so we should start goin'. I still have to swing by Fretz's room to pick up Trisha."

A near invisible grimace spread out on the woman's face, and she hid it well, but Ed still caught it. She quickly said, "Alia and Karen can take care of the kids in here. I'll make sure you three don't get lost going over there." Before anyone could politely protest with the teacher she had opened the door and hurried them to the hall.

Denice Jane Dupree had never walked so fast in all her thirty-two years of life.

"Denice," Urey said, hurrying by her side (her legs were longer due to her being much taller, so her strides were larger than his). "What's with you? Is somethin' wrong?"

"No, Urey. It's fine, dear," she said hurriedly, taking a sharp turn away from a group of fourth-graders and down the hall.

Ed frowned, looking toward the admittedly taller woman. There was an unsettling feeling sinking right to the bottom of his stomach, and he couldn't help but blurt it out. "You don't trust Fretz, do you?"

She didn't answer for quite some time. He asked again.

"Denice, why does Fretz make you uneasy?"

Once again, silence.

"I said why-?"

"I don't trust him," she interrupted, cutting down the last hall before turning to look at him. Her face was a bit pale, her eyes were soft and looked at him directly, and her fingers twitched around into slightly closer fists. To say she was nervous would be an understatement.

Ed tried not to gasp, but failed. "Why-?"

A crackling sound interrupted him mid-question again. His eyes widened and he nearly jumped out of his own skin. The beating of his heart was only rivaled by the cogs turning around in his brain rapidly, trying to find a rational answer. His brow furrowed incredibly and his fists squeezed together.

"Edward, what's wrong?" Denice asked worriedly.

Urey took one look and jumped. "B-Brother?"

"There's a transmutation going on in there," he stated, eyes once again wide and shocked. After a quick look at his younger siblings, he ordered, "Stay here and don't move, okay?"

He shook his head, golden bangs brushing past his eyes.

"No, go back to the classroom. Now."

"But-!"

"Now," Denice enforced. Being one to never put her foot down, the two froze for a moment before running down the corridor and around the corner. Ed took no time to sprint toward the room with the blue light pouring out of it.

Denice stepped in front of him, standing there as a safeguard. Ed blanched at the sight of his sister's hands pressed to the floor as the light grew more and more around them.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, JACKASS?"

 **FIRST CHAPTER. WHOO.**

 **It** ** _sucks._** **Isn't that nice?**

 **This Author's Note is going nowhere.**

 **Please review.**

 **\- iFullmetal; Emma**


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